Potato business. Potato growing business: how to start and make a profit

The industrial scale of root crop production requires serious financial investments. Before starting such a business, you need to draw up a plan consisting of the following actions:

find and rent a land plot of the required area;
register a farm, having previously collected all the necessary documents;
buy equipment for planting and harvesting;
hire staff;
purchase material for planting.

There are two ways to grow tubers for sale:

Winter cultivation in greenhouses. the profit from this method is greater, but the costs are also increased by paying for electricity and heating.
Growing potatoes in the summer.

If you are a novice entrepreneur, then the second method is much more preferable - the costs are minimal, simple agricultural technology that does not require certain knowledge.

There is a certain technology, the observance of which guarantees success in this business.:

tractor - 900 thousand rubles;
potato planter - 320 thousand rubles;
potato digger - 430 thousand rubles;
hiller - 300 thousand rubles;
line for sorting - 410 thousand rubles.

In addition, you will need a special room in which this equipment will be stored in the winter - dry and well ventilated.

Vegetable store

A room that will help keep the tubers until spring with minimal losses. It is worth noting that it is in spring that the cost of the second bread increases almost three times. Approximately two million rubles will be spent on the equipment of this premises.

Staff

In order for the work on growing potatoes to take place without delay, the help of workers will be required.:

two mechanics;
one mechanic;
three guards;
handymen who will help harvest the crops in the amount of 10 people.

Some functions can be taken over by the head of the farm - accounting, search for a sales market.

Cost price

Before creating a potato production business, you need to evaluate how profitable the enterprise will be, and for this, evaluate the cost of the process. Determine how much money will have to be spent on the purchase of equipment, planting material, payment to staff, and so on.

The cost of equipment for working with seed minitubers

This is a unique unit that can be used both outdoors and indoors. It is intended for obtaining a large number of minitubers from one plant.

If you use the installation during the spring-summer period, then the cost of electricity is significantly reduced, since artificial lighting is not required for production. The cost of this equipment is 180 thousand rubles.

Tuber costs

The cost of planting tubers varies from 8 to 30 rubles per kilogram., depending on the season of purchase. So if you buy tubers in the spring, then their price will be maximum.

But it is not advisable to make a purchase in the fall, since it is not clear how they will be stored in the winter. Therefore, for calculations, it is better to take the average price - 25 rubles.

To avoid a large consumption of planting material, large and medium-sized tubers are cut into pieces weighing 40-50 g - so that each share has 2-3 sprouts. In the years of a warm, not very damp spring, the yield from them is no lower than from whole tubers of about the same mass.

Buying or renting land

This is one of the important steps in starting a potato growing business. On average, a hundred square meters of land costs 5 thousand rubles. If we take into account that we need 0.3 hectares, then the investment will be equal to 80 thousand rubles. But at the first stage, it is mono not to spend money, but to lease land for 49 years from municipal organizations.

If we take into account that such an area will be allocated somewhere in the countryside, then the cost will not be high. As soon as the business is established and begins to bring a constant profit, it will be possible to think about acquiring land plot to the property.

Profitability

Potato production for sale is a profitable and relevant business. In our country, it is eaten daily. The advantages of this business are:

potatoes are easy to grow, you do not need to have skills and special knowledge;
there is no seasonality in the demand for root crops, it is eaten all year round;
at the first stage, you do not need to invest a lot of money in the business;
quick payback - subject to a competent approach, the first profit will be received at the end of the first season.

Minuses:

Despite the disadvantages, it is profitable to plant potatoes for sale, even summer residents, having a sufficient area of land in their ownership, have a small, but stable profit every year.

Is it profitable to grow for sale?

Consider what costs will entail starting a business selling potatoes:

land lease within 200 thousand rubles;
purchase of planting material - 300 thousand rubles, assuming that 10 hectares of land will be planted;
fertilizers - 100 thousand rubles;
organization issues - 100 thousand rubles;
purchase of equipment - 2.5 million rubles;
construction of a vegetable store - 2 million rubles.

If we take into account that a farm is being created for the industrial production of potatoes with a land area of 10 hectares, then investments will amount to 5.2 million rubles.

If we assume that 250 tons of tubers can be harvested from 10 hectares in a crop year, then we can assume that the profit in one season will be 10 million rubles (read about the secrets of agricultural technology for growing a large root crop, and from you you will learn how to get a rich early potato harvest). Subtract from this amount the initial capital of 5.2 million and monthly expenses of 864,000 rubles, then the net profit for the season will be 3.936 million rubles.

The amount of investment is considerable, so it is better to start with smaller territories and then expand your business.

Production project per 1 ha in Russia

Before starting to implement the project, it is necessary to draw up a business plan, which should be detailed. This will help not only calculate the amount needed to start a business, but also allow you to calculate the approximate profit from the enterprise. In addition, you need to understand how much money you have to spend on monthly expenses.

First of all, let's calculate the one-time investment:

acquisition of a land plot - 50,000 rubles;
equipment - 970,000 rubles;
fertilizers and seeds - 42,000 rubles;
paperwork - 15,000 rubles;
fuel and lubricants - 10,000 rubles;
warehouses for rent - 30,000 rubles.

The calculation shows that at the first stage we will need 1.117 million rubles.

Now let's calculate the monthly cost of doing business:

utility bills - 25,000 rubles;
rental of premises - 30,000 rubles;
taxes - 20,000 rubles;
payment to staff - 100,000 rubles;
depreciation of equipment - 15,000 rubles;
fuel and lubricants - 10,000 rubles;
unforeseen expenses - 10,000 rubles.

So - production costs will amount to 216,000 rubles per month.

The next step is to calculate the possible profit. With an average yield, 25 tons of potatoes can be harvested from this area, of course, not all of them will be suitable for sale, in the aisles 2.5 tons of tubers will be culled. You can sell 22.5 tons.

Let's say we will sell the crop at retail at a price of 40 rubles per kg. As a result, it turns out that we will sell potatoes for 900 thousand. Net profit 252,000 rubles. Over time, you can expand production and thereby increase net profit.

Conclusion

If you decide to start a potato growing business, then you need to approach this issue rationally.. You should not run to the bank for millions of loans, start small. Rent half a hectare of land and try your hand at this business. Make a profit - expand your business. The potato growing business is labor-intensive, but profitable, and you can gradually expand to large areas.

An excellent marketing plan was developed by Peter the Great in order to instill in the Russian people a love for the French root crop - potatoes. Now it is impossible to imagine traditional Russian cuisine without this vegetable, which is popularly called the second bread. The right business plan for growing potatoes is an opportunity to have a stable income from agricultural crops all year round.

Introduction

The technology of growing potatoes is known to almost everyone. It is associated with the hard work of a farmer, and even a whole crop-growing collective of state farmers, ranging from an agronomist to a machine operator and unskilled manual harvesting workers. The list of professionals involved in the process of growing quality potatoes is actually more extensive:

selector starts. His responsibilities include the selection of varieties and control over the correct care of plants.
Vegetable growers implement the recommendations of the breeder in practice.
Plowing, cultivating, harrowing, driving furrows for planting is the concern of machine operators.
The crop storage and processing technician is responsible for correct harvesting, maintaining temperature and humidity.
An agronomist is the organizer of the production process, setting the deadlines for each stage, following the latest industry developments, and modernizing production.
Mechanics monitor the condition of technical equipment, test them before leaving for the field, and repair them in case of breakdown.

Basic expenses

For the production of potatoes, in a standard way, in large quantities, such a team is necessary, but this requires large financial investments. The main funds go to:

acquisition of a fleet of agricultural machinery;
at least once every 3 years, it is necessary to purchase planting material;
equipping vegetable stores, maintaining their cleanliness from fungus, mold, pathogens of potato diseases;
year-round wages with seasonal employment of most of the workforce.

It is difficult to talk about the profitability of such production when choosing potato cultivation as a profile direction. In order for production to be profitable all year round, in this case, crop production will have to be combined with meat and dairy farming. These are additional costs.

Business Description

A good harvest gives healthy varietal potatoes. It is more attractive to buyers due to its appearance, the similarity of tubers in size, taste, and starch content. Many parameters of potato production in open field and greenhouses coincide, therefore, at the planning stage, it is necessary to enlist the support of competent specialists - scientists involved in:

selection;
the study of potato diseases;
methods of dealing with them;
developing optimal technologies for growing healthy crops.

In addition to recommendations, research centers provide practical support in the form of chemical testing of planting material for the presence of infections of varying degrees. Sending a few selected tubers for examination is convenient if the purchase of seed potatoes was made not at the institute, but at a neighboring farm, collective farm.

Regular testing of the seed stock, already grown on our own farm, allows you to maintain the maximum return from each meter of land used for planting.

Where to get planting material

You can pick up high-quality planting material in different stores, but when contacting commercial enterprises, you cannot be 100% sure that it is the necessary variety that is on sale, and not mixed varieties obtained in the process of natural pollination by insects.

The seeds of elite varieties of potatoes are traded by scientific research institutes of potato farming. In the Moscow region, this is VNIIKH A.G. Lorch. The institute is sponsored from the federal budget. There are similar research centers in Minsk and the Krasnodar Territory. Having chosen for yourself the nearest of the centers, the work of which is supervised by the state, it is necessary to agree on a consultation with a specialist.

Based on the recommendations received, it remains to choose a potato variety that is best suited for growing in certain climatic conditions, for storage or early ripening. For warm regions and latitudes of a temperate climate, even when grown indoors, you should choose specific varieties that are resistant to certain types pathogens of potato diseases.

In each region, the risk of infection with potato cancer, golden cyst nematode, Alternaria and other diseases is different for each variety, which directly depends on what qualities the breeders endowed it with during development. What is not terrible for some varieties in the northern regions, in the south it can completely destroy the crop of this variety when planted in areas with a warm, arid climate and vice versa.

An exception to this rule is the method of growing potatoes in a hydroponic setup, because the soil, as such, is not used, and the air in the room is filtered, all this prevents the ingress of infestations from the outside.

The peculiarity lies in the seasonality of the process. A maximum of two crops of potatoes can be harvested from one field, subject to the choice of a priority direction for the cultivation of early ripening varieties. The sale of fresh potatoes in the first half of summer gives an increased income from each kilogram of product sold. But! At the first early digging, the tubers do not increase the maximum weight characteristic of a particular variety.

Root crops that did not have time to gain marketable weight go to waste. Losses, in comparison with later diggings of potatoes, are up to 80%. The momentary benefit due to the willingness of consumers to overpay for a fresh, dense, starchy product will not cover the cost of the lost part of the crop. Only 10 days separate early ripening varieties from incomplete to full ripening.

The peculiarity of the selection of seed material for early-ripening varieties is that the tubers for planting are larger than those of late-ripening varieties. 10-40 grams from each tuber - a serious amount accumulates. The climatic features of many areas are unstable. Drought or heavy rains can make significant adjustments. This will affect not only the size of the tubers, but also their keeping quality.

With a quick sale of goods, no additional costs for storage are expected. When growing a large volume of crops, which is advisable when using large agricultural machines, you will need a vegetable store that meets all sanitary requirements.

One of the mandatory steps in growing potatoes is fertilizing as close to the roots as possible. It is produced after sowing to support plants during the period of the highest intensity of the development of the root system and plant growth. Root top dressing will not replace pre-sowing fertilizer application to the soil. Each stage of fertilization is an obligatory component of a whole range of measures to replenish the missing plant nutrients.

The introduction of intrasoil root dressing for root crops directly into the planting ditch is sprinkled with a thin layer of earth, ash or sand, which is dictated by the characteristics of the soil. Given that the growth of the root root increases by about 1 cm per day, the depth of the fertilizer from the tuber can be separated by a 2-4 cm layer of soil that does not prevent the penetration of water.

A growing root extracts free ions of useful substances for a plant from a distance of up to 2 cm, and only those absorbed by the soil that are located at a distance not exceeding 8 mm from it. The second method of applying root top dressing is fertigation (watering with water-soluble fertilizers).

Secrets of growing potatoes from a summer resident

Absorption of nutrients by roots can be passive (non-metabolic) and active (metabolic). The rate of use of minerals by plants is closely related to the availability of a nutrient source for the root system.

For large potato fields in dry areas, it is advisable to use irrigation irrigation systems. They cannot be used for the application of soluble fertilizers. For basal feeding, the drip system is more suitable.

Features of fertilizers for root dressings

Nitrogen fertilizers are applied at a time (by irrigation) in an amount of 20 to 30% of the total volume of fertilizers. Potassium in the composition of a balanced solution is present only at a certain phase of plant development. Its percentage to the total volume is the same as that of nitrogen.

Trace elements introduced by root feeding give a lesser effect than the foliar method.

The method of foliar feeding shows the greatest efficiency from the use in areas of normal and excessive moisture in soils of light granulometric composition, soddy-podzolic zone, in the northern forest-steppe, in sandy loamy soils with low moisture permeability. In these cases, no additional costs are required for watering row crops, which include potatoes. Nature is responsible for the dissolution of dry fertilizers applied to the ground.

A huge disadvantage of root dressing is pollution. environment. In arid climates, this method of fertilization is not economically viable due to the incomplete dissolution of dry fertilizers in insufficiently moistened soil or the need to purchase irrigation irrigation systems.

If it is necessary to mechanize root fertilization, a hiller is required.

Non-standard potato growing

Significant savings on the purchase of agricultural heavy equipment, the maintenance of a staff of seasonal workers, reducing the time to grow crops to a minimum with high returns, optimizing manual labor (ideally, reducing it to a minimum) is the dream of every entrepreneur. In the field of crop production, this is the creation of a greenhouse complex.

Once choosing a potato variety, having studied the technology of its cultivation, you can abandon such staff positions as a breeder and agronomist. The absence of the need to cultivate large tracts of land eliminates the need for machine operators and related equipment, although a miniature walk-behind tractor is needed. But here, fuel savings are visible.

With the correct distribution of planting time, you can harvest every week and immediately, after appropriate tillage, plant potatoes again.

Given that fresh potatoes from late October to mid-July cost significantly more than what they got from the herd, the financial benefit is obvious even when taking into account the cost of electricity required for lighting, heating greenhouses and soil, automatic soil moistening.

The absence of land when growing potatoes seems like a fantasy, but there is such a way. This excludes:

use of tillage equipment;
the time needed to recover before the next landing;
periodic enrichment of the soil with fertilizers, humus;
attracting mechanics.

Such a fantastic way of growing root crops is possible in aerohydroponic installations. A whole staff of plant growers will be replaced by one operator in a high-tech potato farm.

Aerohydroponics

The method of growing potatoes indoors does not require the usual soil, it is replaced by expanded clay. The cavities of this material perfectly retain moisture, which is often used by flower growers. But in potato cultivation, it is used so that the roots of the plant can easily penetrate the bottom of the plant. Calcined clay is not subject to soaking under constant exposure to water vapor, in view of this, the plants take root quickly, passing through the soil and a solid mesh base.

Humus, peat and other types of soil that easily pass water vapor can be used as a substrate that provides support for the tops. They are poured into pots only in shape similar to flowers. Peculiarity plastic containers lies in the fact that its walls and bottom resemble a grid.

Industrial plant for large-scale production of root crops

The lower part of the aerohydroponic system is a sealed white box. White paint reflects heat better, which is important when growing crops. The size of the plants depends on the needs of the production, some of them are a box with dimensions of 25 meters in length and 8 meters in width, which corresponds to the size of an industrial greenhouse. The irrigation system is driven by a circulation pump. Water enters the chamber not as a jet, but as a spray.

A powerful jet of water mist irrigates the root system automatically. Oxygenation for potatoes - saturation of the root system with a nutrient mixture enriched with oxygen. The pressure with which the water breaks against the sprayer drops somewhat, which protects the plants from damage, but it is quite enough to deliver oxygen to the roots. This method of mixing several components gave the name to the method - aerohydroponics.

The moisture supply is closed, not a single drop of the nutrient solution evaporates and does not fall into the ground or into the natural reservoir, respectively. Aerohydroponics is an eco-friendly way to harvest. In this case, drops of excess moisture again fall into the tank with aqueous solution nutrients, which optimizes their consumption.

Diagram of a hydroponic setup

For a small room, white square-section boxes with sides of 12 cm are more suitable; their length can reach from 1 to 4 meters. Its edges are closed with hermetic lids, which is necessary to maintain an ordinal of liquid inside a closed compartment.

A tube of the appropriate diameter is connected to the hole on one side of the box through a dense rubber double-sided gasket. It is needed to reduce or increase the level of liquid that is constantly present in the growing chamber of root crops at the initial stage of growing potatoes, according to the principle of operation of connecting vessels. The initial water level in a closed gutter is 2 cm, as the root system lengthens, the water level gradually decreases.

The presence of dry fertilizers is unacceptable, but nutrients dissolved in water are constantly present in the chamber. They enter through a plastic hose passing inside the box. The nutrient system can pass stasis through several boxes with root crops. If it is a perforated hose, then it is installed at the bottom.

When using an external main pipe, it is necessary to make fertilizer supply holes in such a way that they do not fall on the resulting tubers. It is preferable that the nutrient solution hoses be fed directly into the water by dripping. A ready-made drip irrigation system for plants can serve as a fertilizing device. When placed in the center of the chamber, each irrigation channel will feed 4 plants with the mixture.

Substrates for growing potatoes with soil-free roots

The substrates replace the traditional soil, their feature is high porosity, which helps to retain moisture. Such a soil is saturated with oxygen, which is necessary for the root system during the period of its germination into the space of the lower chamber. The porosity of some materials reaches 35%, they are the best source of oxygen, due to which the yield increases significantly, the growth of plants accelerates.

The substrate material is selected according to the following criteria:

the presence of sodium chloride (table salt) within the normal range;
absence of toxic substances and heavy metals harmful to humans;
the presence of substances potentially harmful to plants is unacceptable;
the duration of the use of the substrate;
the ability not to accumulate minerals;
moisture capacity;
water holding capacity;
neutrality - no effect on the pH and electrical conductivity of the medium.

The balance between the ability to retain moisture and part with it should be optimal. With a strong moisture retention, the plant will die, and with a weak moisture retention, the substrate will dry out extremely quickly in the process of natural evaporation.

NO 3 - - nitrogen fertilizer, used in hydroponics due to such qualities as solubility in water and a low degree of attraction of positively charged particles. Plants easily extract it from the substrate. Another source of nitrogen NH 4 + is a magnet for negatively charged particles, which blocks its availability to the plant root system.

Long-term use of substrates leads to the accumulation of dead organic matter, dry salts. This violates the homogeneity of the structure of many types of substrates due to the formation of sinuses - they are destroyed, which leads to a decrease in yield. Prolonged use of one substrate can lead to the growth of bacteria.

Types of substrates

organic	Inorganic	High molecular weight synthetic compounds
peat moss	gravel	expanded polystyrene
coconut coir	glass wool	polyurethane
sphagnum moss	crushed granite	thermoplastic polymers
sawdust	lava rocks	synthetic foam resins
tree bark	sand
rice husk	expanded clay
cotton waste	mineral wool (grodan)
high-moor peat	expanded vermiculite
	hydrogel
	pumice
	zeolites
	perlite
	coal slag

Despite all the advantages of substrates over dense soils, artificial soil substitutes have several significant drawbacks - clogging of pores with root secretions and processes. Artificial materials create an ideal environment for the development of the root-knot nematode.

The use of solid soil substitutes involves the costs of harvesting, shipping, distributing heavy material throughout the greenhouse, regeneration, sterilization and washing after a certain period of operation.

Nutrient solutions for hydroponic crops

Today, 500 different formulations have been developed to feed plants grown without soil. Only strict adherence to the proportions of nutrient and water allows you to grow a healthy crop.

Solutions that are very different in composition, the ratio of nutrient ions. Such an assortment is explained by the peculiarity of the dependence of plant nutrition on the biological characteristics of the variety and external factors- temperature and light conditions.

The amount of nutrients in the solution varies depending on the season. The summer diet of plants is rich in nitrogen, in winter - magnesium, potassium, phosphorus. Influences the choice of top dressing and the phase of plant development, which is reflected in the amount of minerals in the nutrient solution.

Hydroponics Methods

Hydroponics is the common name for several potato growing technologies, literally meaning “working solution”. This method is old, according to its principle, one of the seven wonders of the world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, was grown.

To date, the following schemes are widely used:

Aggregatoponics provides for the use of solid substrates with minimal moisture capacity. Plants take root in gravel, crushed stone or other solid material into which a nutrient solution is supplied.

water culture- this method involves growing in an aquatic environment. The complexity of the scheme lies in the impossibility of accurate dosing of top dressing and the lack of the possibility of uninterrupted complex nutrition of the root system with minerals and air.

Chemoponics- This is a scheme for growing plants in loose organic matter with a 30 percent degree of decomposition. The terms of use of the organic substrate do not exceed two years. Some types of natural materials require preliminary preparation - grinding, adjusting the reaction of the environment. For example, reducing the level of salts in the coconut substrate, grinding tree bark. The mineral composition is applied by surface irrigation. The main advantage is the lack of specialized equipment.

ionitoponics- a method of growing in a complex substrate consisting of 2 ion-exchange synthetic resins. Both ingredients (KU-2 cation exchanger and EDE-10P anion exchanger) are characterized as strong, chemically resistant to oxidation in the light or at high temperature. Clean water is used for irrigation, because all the necessary nutrients are in the substrate - artificially created soil.

- a method of growing crops that does not require a substrate. Spraying the root system of plants with a nutrient solution is carried out through nozzles at regular intervals, every 12 to 15 minutes. The cycle lasts 5-7 seconds. Maximum oxygen supply to the roots and constant moisture give the maximum return. The circuit operates in automatic mode, in the event of a power outage, its own emergency generator is needed.

Subirrigation- the method of flooding consists in planting plants in waterproof trays filled with permeable artificial substrates. They are placed on shelves. Humidification with a nutrient solution is made from below. At the end of the supply of the nutrient mixture, its excess returns to the tank by gravity.

The biochemical principles of all types of growing hydroponic crops include feeding the roots of the plant from the air with oxygen, a nutrient solution from water or a substrate that replaces the soil.

The effectiveness of the method of growing plants without soil lies in the easy availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron, minerals and other useful substances for the roots.

Based on the fact that the most unpleasant and expensive thing in potato crop production is its storage, we have to admit that hydroponics opens up new horizons for entrepreneurs:

warehouses are not needed if the goods are immediately sent for sale. So, there is no need to sort it out.
There is no need to plow the land, polluting the atmosphere with exhaust gases, and the water of rivers with runoff of inorganic fertilizers, massively washed out of the soil by melt water.
Hard physical labor in the field, under any weather conditions, is replaced by the comfortable climate of a greenhouse or other adapted premises.
The work of the potato grower becomes year-round, not seasonal, which implies a stable monthly income for workers.
The same harvest that is obtained during the summer from 50 hectares can be grown in greenhouses on one and a half hectares in a year.

We have to admit that hydroponics is an ancient technology that will amaze with its simplicity and efficiency. IN modern conditions potatoes can be grown even at the South Pole.

Description of services

The services of greenhouses, farms and stations for the cultivation of hydroponic crops consist in the supply of a quality food product, free from pesticides and other substances harmful to human health accumulated in the root crop.

The points of sale of products can be retail food stores, agricultural exhibitions, fairs, markets, Catering, schools, kindergartens, medical hospitals, nursing homes, camps and summer recreation centers. All organizations that provide daily food for people can be considered as potential purchasers of agricultural products.

It remains only to convince them high quality product, purity and other benefits of the product. In this case, the cost is not a fundamental factor, but it will automatically be lower than for similar products delivered from distant areas. The proof that a potato is clean is not only its appearance, but also its food certificate. To get it, you need to test the product. The best protection for the product will be the conclusion of specialists from the Institute of Plant Growing.

An additional trump card in the hands of the manufacturer is the delivery of a consignment of goods determined by weight by their own vehicles. Regular deliveries are a benefit for both the supplier and the consumer. Established sales channels mean mutual trust. The consumer is confident in the quality of the product, its taste, and the supplier in the solvency and honesty of the buyer.

The duration of the partnership between the producer of agricultural products and the wholesale or small wholesale buyer of it allows, with daily or weekly deliveries of goods to the point, to receive cash or non-cash payments in large amounts once or twice a month. But this aspect should be reflected in the contract between the parties to the transaction and supported by invoices.

Market analysis

Oddly enough, the study of the agricultural market of the area must begin with a visit to food stores, and not from farms where potatoes are grown. As a rule, with large suppliers of root crops many years ago, agreements were concluded for large wholesale with agricultural warehouses that redistribute goods between stores of a large distribution network.

Finding locally produced goods in nearby stores becomes an extremely difficult task, even in developed agricultural areas. On the shelves you can often find potatoes brought from distant corners. Root crops do not always have an attractive appearance. The lack of mandatory certification of goods grown on farms has led to the fact that sick potatoes enter the trade network.

It is clear that they buy it rotten, sick, cut potatoes out of desperation. It is necessary to find out from the seller what criteria for the selection of products are based on his merchandiser when choosing a supplier. Perhaps it is this store that needs a new channel for the delivery of goods. A wide assortment of a store is not an indicator that it does not need new suppliers, especially if the profit in it is made not by raising prices, but as an increase in turnover.

Commodity experts are a source of information about the specific needs of each microdistrict for potatoes. Somewhere statistics are based on daily deliveries, in large stores, calculated data can be provided for a week or a month. It remains to bring the data together to find out the specific figure for the consumption of potatoes grown in a specific way.

Unsorted cheap potatoes can be ignored. Despite its relatively low cost, it turns out to be the most expensive for the buyer due to natural losses during cleaning.

Smooth varietal potatoes with traces similar to a thin coating of ash, slag is a product of greenhouse cultivation without the use of a complex expensive installation. The advantage of this potato is a long shelf life with preservation of taste and nutritional properties. As a rule, these are even, almost identical in shape and weight tubers of early ripening varieties. If such goods are brought from nearby areas, then this is a serious bid for competition.

The most expensive potato that can be found in the store is positioned as "washed". It is very strange in the middle of winter or spring that such fresh potatoes look next to those grown in the open. It is extremely difficult to believe that it is specially washed. This is one of marketing moves for the promotion of tubers grown in an aeroponic plant.

Having found out the need of the population for the needs of the population in potatoes grown in specific conditions, specifying the readiness of retail outlets to accept locally produced goods for sale, you can begin to develop a detailed plan.

Marketing plan

Potatoes do not need advertising, the number of dishes prepared from them will not surprise anyone. It remains to properly present your product. No need to convince the layman that the potatoes are washed. By and large, he was washed every 15 minutes during the entire time he was in the growth chamber. The naked truth can alert many, due to which the number of consumers will decrease. The lack of information in the media leads to the fact that the consumer is not ready to fully accept some ways of growing potatoes.

With tubers that look too fresh for a particular season, but have a semblance of earth on the skin, things are easier. They can be sold as a fresh crop grown in a greenhouse, which is also true to some extent. To promote a product in demand, it is enough to provide convenience for the buyer - packing in nets or paper bags with a window.

Production plan

The regional administration approved the allocation for farming land plots with a total area of 50 hectares for lease for 99 years at a fixed cost of 650 rubles per hectare per year (with the right to purchase).

Of the total, 13 hectares are abandoned arable land, and unclaimed after fallow for many years. They are planned to be used in the spring sowing for planting potatoes - 14 hectares for the early ripe variety "Bullfinch" and 20 hectares for late-ripening potatoes "Nevsky".

2 hectares of land allocated in the forest area will remain for mowing, due to the need to insulate concrete herds with natural materials. 1 ha of land remains under:

construction of a metal garage;
warehouse premises:
tent for drying potatoes and sorting them.

At the sale of the equipment of the liquidated state farm, it is planned to purchase, at a residual value, a DT-75 wheeled tractor with attached interchangeable equipment and a GAZ-53 flatbed truck. The distance from large cities and popular holiday destinations is at least 200 km, which significantly reduces the payment for renting a land plot. The market for the sale of goods with the lowest transport and time costs is provided by the population of 5 cities (with a population of 80 - 92 thousand people) located within a radius of 50 km from the territory of production of goods.

Carry out registration of a peasant farm under the form of taxation of the Unified Agricultural Tax. Build until April 1 storage of seed material, threshing floor. Buy up to April 15 seeds of elite potatoes, selected varieties, and fertilizers. Without reference to a specific date, build an insulated hangar-garage with profiled sheeting.

organizational plan

Due to the seasonal nature of the main work, it is planned to attract personnel with several related professions to the team.

Tractor mechanic;
Agronomist-breeder;
Accountant, clerk, sales manager, business owner all rolled into one;
5 handymen (seasonal).

If there is a shortage of workers for the time of harvesting, it is planned to involve the local population on a piece-rate basis. Complete state formation by April 15th. All stages of agricultural work are carried out according to the crop calendar and scientifically developed technologies for cultivating selected varieties.

Financial section

Annual cost of potato production on a farm with employees

Explanations:

Additional payments are made based on the results of the season, taking into account the KTU and the efficiency of each employee.
Consumables - fuels and lubricants, spare parts for equipment repair, fertilizers.
The cost of purchasing 1.5 tons of planting material is current as of February 2018.

One-time costs when starting a business:

Acquisition and restoration of decommissioned equipment 68,000 rubles;
Construction of agricultural buildings 32,000 rubles.
Registration of an enterprise;

The cost of starting a business, excluding wages, does not exceed 3 million rubles. With the promised yield (average) of 2700 kg per hectare, the expected return is at least 135 tons of potatoes. With the planned average cost, taking into account seasonal price fluctuations, the revenue for the goods will be 2,700,000 rubles.

This business will pay off in one year under favorable circumstances.

Financial section of greenhouse potato farming

The method of growing potatoes in a greenhouse economy was chosen with the planting of tubers in the beds, which eliminates the stage of hilling. The absence of land-cultivating equipment saves on the purchase of fuels and lubricants.

Recurring expenses

№	Item of expenses	Amount per year (in rubles)
1	Rent 5 hectares of land	4 000
2	Agreement with the water utility	10 000
3	Payment for electricity and water supply (according to meters)	≈ 60 000
4	Seed fund renewal	4 700
5	Purchase of balanced liquid fertilizer concentrates	12 000
6	Paying taxes	6% off net profit
7	Accountant salary (outsourcing)	18 000

One-time costs

№	Item of expenses	Amount per year (in rubles)
	Purchase of ready-made greenhouse kits	1 250 000
1	Concreting of bases for greenhouses	32 000
2	Procurement and installation of earth heating cables	12000
3	Conducting electrical wiring (with the installation of fluorescent lamps) to the greenhouse complex	60 000
4	Assembling an automatic irrigation system	13 000
5	Installing a water storage tank	17 000
6	Filling with gravel approaches to greenhouses	9 000
7	Expenses not included	20 000
8	Production registration	3 500

Explanation: the article on unaccounted expenses appeared due to the instability of prices and the inability to provide for all the necessary associated costs for the installation of communications.

According to preliminary calculations, with year-round potato cultivation, 7 full-fledged crops are obtained, which is equal to ≥ 245 tons of varietal potatoes, and this is a gross income exceeding 6,000,000 rubles. The business pays off within 1.5 years.

The table of expenses for a potato growing station without soil is supplemented by an article for the purchase of a substrate, nutrient solutions will cost a little more. The remaining calculations made for greenhouse farming are relevant for the method of growing hydroponic crops.

Risk analysis and insurance

The main risks in potato growing are diseases that can partially or completely destroy the crop. The main insurance is the prevention of diseases. Preventive tillage from pathogens will only give the desired effect if the entire batch of seed potatoes is clean. Only potato research centers can give such a guarantee with full responsibility. It is necessary to purchase planting material in specialized stores at scientific centers.

Visual inspection of the seed fund should become a tradition before laying the tubers for storage and before planting in the ground. Seed potatoes are stored separately from products prepared for sale, they need a special moisture regime.

The refusal of one or more stores to accept goods for sale is not a reason to despair. An onboard car with 3 tons of potatoes in large bags will empty quickly enough, even with a slight difference from the store value of 1-2 rubles. Given the percentage of the purchase and retail prices, this method of sales will be more profitable for the manufacturer.

The only obstacle to the trade of potatoes from the open body of a car is the temperature of the air below -5 ° C. At such a temperature, potatoes acquire a sweetish taste - this is not a backup way out of this situation, but direct harm to one's own business. The cost of potatoes in winter and spring practically does not change. At least it will not become cheaper until the new harvest. By taking care of high-quality storage and systematic planned sorting of goods, significant losses of root crops can be avoided.

Proper humidity and constant air temperature in the vegetable store will help keep potatoes in good condition. presentation and excellent taste until the next harvest. So, it can be sold with the onset of spring.

The risks associated with crop damage during natural disasters - fire, flood, are insured events, as well as theft, intentional damage to warehouses and equipment by intruders. All possible risks must be included in the insurance policy.

Conclusion

Potato growing can be unprofitable when an entrepreneur tries to save money on the purchase of proven seed material, unwillingness to listen to the arguments of scientists who develop optimal solutions for selecting a potato variety and fertilizer for it, taking into account the quality of the soil. Growing potatoes is the type of business that can be expanded gradually by completing and equipping 1-2 greenhouses annually.

The head of the peasant farm on the cultivation and marketing of potatoes

Attention! The free business plan provided for download below is an example. The business plan that best suits the conditions of your business must be created with the help of specialists.

Says a private entrepreneur from the Bryansk region, Oksana Vyazemskaya, the owner of a potato farm. Oksana leased 12 hectares of land, bought a tractor with attachments, as well as European seed. Seasonal work is underway on the ground. Up to ten people work during the season, who are engaged in planting, caring for and collecting potatoes. The bulk of the potatoes are sold in Moscow and the Moscow region.

Business plan for growing potatoes. Introduction

Many people think that the most delicious potatoes grow in Belarus, but in fact this is far from the case. The best potatoes grow here, near Bryansk. I myself come from a village, and therefore I know firsthand what a fertile region we live in.

Due to the unusual, sandy soil, our potatoes resemble home-made butter in their color. It is crumbly and perfectly boiled soft, and what potato pancakes are obtained from it ...

My husband and I live in the city, but we always had a small dacha. I like working on the ground. It is both soothing and helps to make ends meet.

One fine day, we decided that we would be able to cope with farm work, fortunately, even near our completely unplowed land, which was left over from a bankrupt collective farm.

We had more than enough desire to grow potatoes on an industrial scale, but we didn’t have much experience. It is one thing to plow the land on a mini tractor, and quite another to cultivate several hectares.

How we changed our lives, or in search of the perfect business plan

Already after the first steps in business, my husband and I realized that without a good plan and a clear sequence of actions, there is nothing to try to implement such a grandiose project.

First of all, we wanted to clarify the following questions:

How much land should be rented to cultivate it efficiently?
What kind of tractor and attachments do you need?
How much money is needed to start a business?
What law governs farm work?

We did not have a sensible and intelligible answer to any of the questions. We tried to make inquiries through acquaintances, but received such a flood of various information that we almost drowned in it.

We were advised to hire an intelligent financier, but he asked for such a fabulous amount for his services, which we cannot get even for half a year of hard work.

We were forced to refuse his services and look for a way out on our own.

We were also advised to download a business plan on the global network, but even in our unprofessional opinion, all the free plans there fell under the definitions of “nonsense” and “nonsense”.

But happiness smiles on the brave and stubborn. Luckily, I came across a site with paid business plans on a wide variety of topics. Without difficulty, our plan was also found.

Having paid a small amount, we downloaded an excellent business plan, and in a couple of days of work we brought it to the ideal, completely fitting it to our needs.

As a result, it was the use of this business plan that became a success in our potato business, and helped to make good money.

Business plan for planting potatoes

Some useful information and a brief presentation of a business plan for growing potatoes:

Potato business plan. Summary

The project is a plan to establish profitable potato production within two years. The project is financed by loans in the amount of 1.5 million rubles.

The payback period of the project is 24 months. Investor's profit - 154.0 thousand rubles.

Credit conditions: payment of interest and the body of the loan from the first month, the interest rate is 14% per annum.

General description of the enterprise

The project is planned:

execution of documents for a peasant (farm) economy (hereinafter - KFH);
purchase of land ownership or lease of a land plot of at least 25 acres;
purchasing equipment and hiring workers;
soil preparation, sowing;
seedling processing and harvesting;
conducting marketing activities throughout the project.

KFH is subject to a single agricultural tax.

Goods

Favorable conditions for a good potato harvest are:

enough light;
temperature within +15…+22;
lack of excessive moisture;
loosening the earth during the formation of tubers.

Production plan

For the last 8 years, potatoes have been sown in Russia on an area of 2.1-2.2 million hectares. In the mid-90s, they amounted to 3.4-3.5 million hectares. In 2012, potato imports amounted to 490 thousand tons.

Thus, the market receives an insufficient amount of potatoes from domestic producers.

According to statistics, the crop yield is 118-130 c/ha.

Most potatoes are produced in the Central and Volga districts.

It is best to conclude such agreements in the nearest cities.

Very promising is the conclusion of contracts for the supply of products with networks of retail stores.

The larger the network, the larger volumes it purchases, the higher the requirements for suppliers, the lower the purchase prices.

Typically, retail chains choose 2-3 suppliers that meet the requirements for quality, assortment, and logistics. It is better to start cooperation with small local networks.

Table number 1. Potato consumption potential in Russia

Large federal networks make demands that are very difficult for small farms to fulfill, especially at the initial stage. Sometimes it seems that the requirements retail chains are too high, but those who were able to fulfill them will increase their competitiveness at times.

To do this, the farm must provide:

storage of goods;
small packaging;
delivery to the store.

An analysis of climate information and forecasts makes it possible to predict that with a probability of 70% in most of Russia, the temperature in May-September will be within the seasonal norm.

Precipitation deficit is predicted in the Southern Federal District, in the south-west of Siberia, in the northern regions of the North Caucasus.

One of the most profitable business niches is growing and selling potatoes. Today it is difficult to imagine the diet of most Russians without this root crop, so such an agricultural crop will always be in great consumer demand. Growing potatoes is a promising and long-term activity, moreover, there are no problems with the sale of products. To successfully develop in this direction, an entrepreneur needs to competently organize his own business.

First, it is recommended to analyze the situation on the market, determine the profitability of the activity, and also calculate the amount of investments and possible income. To date, farmers cannot fully satisfy the needs of buyers, so growing potatoes for sale is very profitable. Despite the large number of manufacturers, the business is not afraid of competition and is highly profitable.

Is it profitable to grow potatoes for sale?

What is useful to know for a novice entrepreneur who decides to grow potatoes for sale? This type of activity is highly profitable, moreover, today modern technologies are used that allow growing root crops in greenhouses all year round and harvesting several crops per season. The business of growing and selling potatoes has its positive and negative sides. The pluses should include:

the possibility of growing root crops even on a small plot of land;
fast return on investment;
high consumer demand for potatoes, regardless of seasonality;
the possibility of combining business with other activities;
relative ease of care.

If a person has a garden, he can also grow potatoes and earn decent money from it. For this kind home business no need to pay taxes. Fertilizers are inexpensive, and there are many people in the countryside who want to earn money (it doesn’t hurt to hire them to weed the land and care for potatoes). The costs will be negligible.

Growing potatoes is not only able to bring profit all year round, but also saves on fertilizers, since the tops are used to form humus on the site. If you install greenhouses on the ground, you can harvest 3 crops in 1 year. Investments usually pay off after 4 months from the beginning of the first planting.

This business is not without flaws, and every entrepreneur who is interested in profitable business should know about them. First of all, there is a great dependence of the quality of the crop on weather conditions. If there is intense heat in the region, the plants need to be protected with irrigation systems. Potatoes have a lot of enemies among insects. To combat them, various chemicals are successfully used today, which allow saving the crop. Therefore, these disadvantages should be considered rather as additional precautions.

To understand how profitable it is to grow potatoes for sale yourself, let's give a simple example. Let's say a businessman rented (or owns) 30 acres of land. From every 100 sq. m, you can collect about 280 kg of potatoes, and from the entire area - 8.4 thousand kg. If you sell it in bulk at a price of 20 rubles, you can get revenue of 168 thousand rubles.

To cultivate the land, you will need to buy a walk-behind tractor (mini-tractor) with a body, as well as a hiller, a mounted plow and a device for digging up root crops. Still need to purchase fertilizer for the site. Investments for these purposes will amount to about 80 thousand rubles. The benefits of this type of activity are obvious. If you install greenhouses and grow plants all year round, profits will increase significantly.

Potato growing technology

There are many different ways to grow potatoes, allowing you to get a fairly good harvest. Let us dwell on the Dutch method, since it does not require large expenses and allows plants to develop in natural conditions (without the use of greenhouses).

A feature of this technology is the minimum mechanical processing of the land and the potato itself. The method involves the use of ground aeration, which provides effective ventilation of soil layers by mixing them with atmospheric air. To implement it, the soil is first loosened, after which the planting material is placed in the formed earthen ridges, while it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the planting rows is large enough.

Growing potatoes according to this method makes it possible to collect up to 1.8-2 kg of root crops from one bush, while the potato itself can be stored for a long time under certain conditions. When selecting planting material, pay attention to the tubers: each of them should have about 5-6 eyes in order to get a good harvest.

Immediately before planting, root crops should be warmed up in spacious, bright areas. Then they are placed in the ground until sprouts form, while the material should be in a room where it is recommended to maintain 6-8 ° heat. Ready seedlings must be sent for further growth in natural conditions in well-warmed soil.

Up to 600 potato bushes are allowed to be planted on one hundred square meters of land, while it is better to arrange them in such a way as to provide good lighting. The beds are formed from north to south with an interval between rows of up to 0.75 m. As for watering potatoes, this should be done no more than 3 times over the entire period of the crop's life. The first is carried out when sprouts appear, then before flowering begins, and after it ends.

Important: to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle and other pests, it is recommended to treat the tops with pesticides even before the onset of the flowering period.

Growing potatoes as a business

Consider the main stages of business development.

Land Acquisition

An important step in organizing a potato growing business is the acquisition of land. On average, one hundred square meters will have to pay 5 thousand rubles, and about 0.25-0.3 hectares will be required for planting. In this way, minimum investment for the purchase will amount to 75 thousand rubles.

A person can organize a small one, in which case his income will be small, but he won’t have to spend money on buying a land plot. As for the lease of land, its cost can reach several thousand rubles per hundred square meters, so it is more expedient to invest in your own land. Before buying a plot, you should consult with a lawyer who will inform you about all the intricacies of land registration and assist in filling out the documents.

Business registration

To start entrepreneurial activity, a businessman needs to contact the Federal Tax Service at the place of residence and register a peasant farm or individual entrepreneur. Often such a business is organized simultaneously by several partners. In this case, to register an enterprise, it is worth submitting an appropriate contract indicating the contact details of each of the co-owners of the business. In addition, the contract should specify the rights and obligations of each of the partners, as well as the procedure for exiting the business of each of them. If necessary, you can find out from a specialist in the department of the Federal Tax Service how to do it right and agree on the frequency of payment.

When registering a company, you must specify OKVED codes. For growing potatoes, you can choose:

01.1 - "Growing annual crops";
01.13 - "Growing vegetables, root crops, gourds and tubers, mushrooms and truffles";
01.13.1 - "Growing vegetables";
01.13.12 - "Cultivation of protected ground vegetables".

New entrepreneurs who want to make money on growing and do not know which form of taxation is better to choose. For this type of activity, the best option would be to pay a single agricultural tax, the rate of which is only 6%.

Selection of premises

A businessman should take care of the proper storage of the crop, so you need to find the appropriate storage facilities equipped with:

ventilation;
lighting;
heating system.

Storage areas must be dry, free of moisture and mold. Root crops should be dried before being placed in storage, and also sorted so that there are no rotten tubers among the crop. Illiquid potatoes can be handed over to farms specializing in other livestock, which will accept them as feed for a small price. As for the cost of renting storage facilities, it varies between 30-40 thousand rubles for 1 month.

Purchase of equipment

For the operation of a farm for growing potatoes, it is necessary to purchase the appropriate equipment. If you have to use a large amount of planting material, you should buy a potato planter. This machine allows you to perform large amounts of work in a short time and greatly simplifies the work of people.

In addition, it is desirable to acquire special harvesters for harvesting root crops. They allow you to automate harvesting, moreover, such equipment practically does not damage potato tubers. You can’t do without a potato digger on the field. Such a machine is needed for sampling root crops from the ground. You will also need a line for sorting the harvested crop on the farm, and it can also be used for onions. It allows you to easily select vegetables by size, for which the design provides for the possibility of installing gratings with the appropriate fractions.

Without fail, a small tractor will be required, with the help of which weeding work will be carried out, as well as the transportation of the crop. The minimum set of equipment for farming will be:

tractor with trailer - 250 thousand rubles;
automated line for sorting root crops - 200 thousand rubles;
potato digger - 150 thousand rubles;
harvester - 300 thousand rubles;
potato planter - 70 thousand rubles.

Total - the cost of purchasing equipment will amount to 970 thousand rubles. Most entrepreneurs do not have the opportunity to invest such an amount of money to buy the necessary equipment for the economy. For this reason, equipment can be rented or leased before harvesting.

Purchase of planting material

Another item in the cost item will be the purchase of seed and organic fertilizers, which are necessary for the full growth of the crop. About 30 thousand rubles will have to be allocated for chemicals before sowing root crops. How to correctly calculate the number of seedlings required for sowing the land? Based on practice, about 20 kg of seed (tubers) will be required per 1 weave of land. Thus, for 0.3 ha, you need to provide 20 * 30 = 600 kg of root crops. The wholesale price for the purchase of potatoes is on average 20 rubles per 1 kg, so 12 thousand rubles will have to be spent to purchase seed. Taking into account fertilizers, the costs will cost 42 thousand rubles.

Formation of a team of workers

What kind of employees to attract to work in a potato farm? To do this, it does not hurt to invite machine operators - specialists who will service the equipment and work on the land. Also, you can not do without handymen for weeding, watering and sorting root crops.

In addition, you will need an auto mechanic who will repair the equipment. In the summer, guards should be involved to control the order on the field. An example staffing might look like this:

handyman (2 people) - 16 thousand rubles;
machine operator (2 people) - 24 thousand rubles;
enterprise manager - 20 thousand rubles;
auto mechanic - 15 thousand rubles;
security guard (2 people) - 20 thousand rubles;
accounting (payment for outsourcing) - 5 thousand rubles.

In total, monthly expenses for the salaries of employees will amount to 100 thousand rubles. At first, the owner of the business can keep records of the warehouse economy, which will reduce the costs of remuneration of the relevant specialist.

Business plan for growing potatoes

Before embarking on a commercial project, an entrepreneur needs to develop a detailed business plan for growing potatoes. It allows you to determine the amount of initial costs for a start, evaluate the prospects and calculate the possible profit.

In addition, the businessman must know the amount of monthly expenses that are mandatory in the course of work. Calculate the amount of investment to start the enterprise, which includes the following components:

purchase of land - 75 thousand rubles;
purchase of equipment - 970 thousand rubles;
planting material and fertilizers - 42 thousand rubles;
business registration - 15 thousand rubles;
purchase of fuel and lubricants - 10 thousand rubles;
warehouse rental - 30 thousand rubles.

Thus, the amount of initial investments is 1.142 million rubles. Running a root crop business involves monthly costs, which include:

rent of premises - 30 thousand rubles;
payment utilities- 25 thousand rubles;
tax deductions - 20 thousand rubles;
staff salary - 100 thousand rubles;
equipment depreciation - 15 thousand rubles;
purchase of fuel and lubricants - 10 thousand rubles;
other expenses - 10 thousand rubles.

Total - regular costs amount to 216 thousand rubles. Now let's calculate the possible profit of the enterprise. It is realistic to collect 280 kg of potatoes from one hundred square meters of land, the total yield will be 8.4 tons. Let half a ton of potatoes be unsuitable for sale. Thus, 7900 kg of root crops are obtained, which can be sold.

If you sell the harvest in bulk at a price of 20 rubles per 1 kg, the total amount of income will be 158 thousand rubles. When selling washed and dried root crops in small wholesale lots and retail, you can make a profit of about 40 rubles per 1 kg, which will bring 316 thousand rubles. The net profit from the sale of one crop will be 100 thousand rubles.

This amount can be increased many times if you organize year-round growing potatoes in greenhouses. In the future, it will not hurt to scale the business, which will lead to a significant increase in income. For example, medium-sized farms own land plots with an area of 2 hectares or more. This allows you to harvest more than 50 tons of crops at a time.

FAQ

Consider frequently asked questions on the topic.

What is the demand for potatoes today?

Potato is one of the most important food products, the demand for which does not depend on the season. As practice shows, the profit from the sale of root crops in winter can almost double. In addition to ordinary consumers, large quantities of potatoes are purchased by manufacturing firms. For example, potatoes are used to make starch and alcohol on an industrial scale. Recently, this product has been used for the production of chips. In addition, the main buyers of potatoes are wholesale bases, large retail chains and supermarkets.

Where to look for potato marketing channels?

Entrepreneurs who want, for example, initially focus on the huge consumer demand for such a product. Potatoes do not need advertising, and they will be bought in any quantities. Consider several effective ways to sell the crop:

Sale on the collective farm markets. This option is able to bring good profit, however, it should be understood that it requires an investment of a large amount of time. This task should be entrusted to one of the family members or involve implementers. It is profitable to sell potatoes from mid-autumn to early May, when this product is in great demand (despite high prices).
Delivery of potatoes for sale. A fairly promising option, since it allows you to gain a decent amount of money. To do this, you should find several sellers who have their own outlets and offer them profitable terms cooperation.
Harvest wholesale. An entrepreneur can hand over large quantities of potatoes to wholesale buyers, as well as to purveyors. They offer a low price for the goods, but if you need money for all the products at once, this is the best option. It is most often resorted to by large farms that can offer buyers large quantities of goods.
Direct sales of potatoes to retail chains and shops. This option is considered the most profitable. The entrepreneur can arrange the supply of potatoes to stores at an agreed price. Washed and packaged products are in great demand among buyers.

Important: if it is planned to grow potatoes in large volumes, it makes sense to find buyers for the products in advance. Wholesalers and manufacturers should agree on the terms on which they will cooperate. This will allow you to grow potatoes and not worry about finding distribution channels.

What documents need to be issued for potatoes?

According to the requirements of the TR of the Customs Union, potatoes must undergo a mandatory quality assessment. For this reason, manufacturers will have to have the appropriate documentation. You can get it from an accredited organization that provides product certification services. Such a body is obliged to have the right to conduct an assessment of the quality of food products, as well as to issue relevant documents that are approved Russian legislation. If it is planned to store potatoes, especially with the use of heating systems, a businessman will need to obtain permits for doing business in state supervision and a sanitary and epidemiological station.

Is it possible to build a business on the resale of potatoes?

Consider the idea of a business selling potatoes, associated with its implementation by the type of market dealers. Its essence lies in the fact that you need to place ads in the sleeping areas of the city for the sale of products, receive orders from customers and breed goods at the specified addresses. It should be immediately noted that the minimum order must be at least 30 kg (the volume of one mesh). To start making money, you don’t need to register an enterprise at the initial stage, spend money on renting an office space or buying a vehicle.

Earnings from the sale of one grid is about 200 rubles. Rent truck costs about 300 rubles per hour. In order to make a profit and not work at a loss, you should manage to deliver more than 3 nets of potatoes to customers during this time. Item must be purchased in advance wholesale markets or in supermarkets. To do this, it is enough to have only a few thousand rubles of starting capital. Relatively quickly, you can reach a stable income of up to 10 thousand rubles a day, which will require daily investments in the purchase of goods of about 25 thousand. Businessmen who have already developed their client base receive up to 20 calls per hour. It is easy to calculate the possible profit per day. The best option would be to deliver potatoes simultaneously to courtyards with multi-storey buildings, where this service is most popular.

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In summary, we note that the potato growing business is a very promising activity. Due to the high consumer demand, the popularity of these products will not decrease, so entrepreneurs can expand their activities and consistently earn decent money.

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Potato growing business plan: detailed financial calculations + 7 basic steps for becoming successful business.

Capital investment: 90,200 rubles.
Payback period: 4-5 months (time from planting to harvest).

Growing potatoes - business?

This question was asked by many of those who at least once grew potatoes with their own hands.

We answer with confidence that yes, and quite promising.

The main thing is to take the first steps correctly.

There is no need to talk about the popularity of the potato once again, as it can be called the real master of the table for more than one hundred years.

The Indians of Latin America discovered its secret 7,000 years ago.

Then the Spanish conquerors brought it to Europe, and later, thanks to the efforts of Peter I, it ended up on our tables.

Given the popularity of the vegetable, it can be assumed that growing potatoes is still a business, and a promising one at that.

However, you must be aware that, as in any other type of activity, in order to achieve success, you need to make some efforts, think carefully and act on the basis of everything.

Of course, like all undertakings in business, it will require certain costs.

Their size depends on what volumes you are going to "swing".

Where does a business plan for growing potatoes begin?

Like any project, it starts with the fact that they make up a business plan for growing potatoes.

It is carefully thought out, based on what you have:

acreage for cultivation;
financial business opportunities;
choice of technology for growing potatoes;
capital (initially necessary) investments;
daily or current expenses;
expected business outcome.

So, having decided for yourself that growing potatoes is the business to which you decide to devote your efforts and time, you need to carefully conduct analytical work.

The business analysis is as follows:

Find out the average price for seed.
Determine and clearly understand what equipment you will need and its price.
Which planting technology is most suitable for your climate zone.
Average yield and how to raise it in your area.
Average price for fertilizers and fuels and lubricants.
Average wholesale and/or retail selling price of the harvest.
Legal aspect and nuances of taxation.

Incorporating a Legal Question into a Potato Business Plan

If we are talking about entrepreneurial activity, it is necessary to include such an item as the legal registration of one's relations with the state in the business plan for growing potatoes.

If you decide to limit yourself to the scope of your subsidiary farm, then with a clear conscience you can sell the crop on the market without any registration, according to the legally valid concept of "personal subsidiary plot" (PSP).

But if the planned scale of production is higher, then (indicating the OKVED code A.01.13.21).

At the same time, the UAT taxation system will be the most beneficial for you, deductions for which will also need to be included in the list of future expenses.

Potato growing business plan: necessary equipment and fixtures

This is one of the most expensive points of your business plan, but sooner or later you will have to return to it and decide.

To be successful in this type of business, it is necessary to gain complete autonomy from the beginning to the end of the potato growing process.

Of course, when it comes to a subsidiary farm with a plot area of 6 to 10 acres, then, although this is not easy, it is quite possible to cope with the muscular strength of family members and a primitive shovel.

And if you went out into the open spaces of the site, say, 30 acres?

There is no doubt that mechanization is needed here.

There are two ways: buying a mini-tractor or renting.

As for rent, you should know that the price of the service is on average 400-500 rubles per hundred square meters in the country.

The price of your own "horse" is about 30-60,000 rubles.

Here, the amounts vary depending on the type, power and capabilities of the unit.

If your farm has a horse and an old peasant plow with a cart, then this is also a good option for mechanizing labor at the initial stage:

What technologies are used to grow potatoes?

Speaking about growing technology, it should be said that there are a lot of options.

Which one to choose is up to you, based on the information collected on the appropriateness of the method for your region and based on the expected end result.

It should be borne in mind that, like any business, growing potatoes should be based on the most advanced technologies.

In this regard, we will introduce you to a relatively new, but already successfully tested technology for growing potatoes in Southern Patagonia (Argentina).

The climate of that area is similar to the central zone of Russia, and closer to the south it is even more severe.

It should be noted that this method is successfully used at all latitudes of the country, up to its subtropical part, and gives good yields.

For planting, flower pots made of organic material 60 cm deep are required (this type of pot is well known to gardeners who plant seedlings of tomatoes).

Soil is poured into them, the top layer of which is mixed with manure and a small amount of sand and water.

6 weeks before planting, selected potatoes are planted and left in a cool place with natural light.

When preparing planting material, we decide on the size of the fruits of the future crop.

If our plans include medium-sized potatoes with a large number of fruits, five sprouts are left.

If our plan is to get very large tubers (with fewer of them), then we leave 3 sprouts.

Growing potatoes in this way requires fertile, well-drained and rich in organic matter soil (prepared before planting) with a hole depth of about 60 centimeters (according to the dimensions of the planting pots).

Holes (landing holes) in the ground are made at a distance of 40 cm from each other.

Potatoes are planted directly in pots.

Two weeks before harvesting, the ground part of the plant is cut off just above the root, leaving 5 - 10 cm above the ground.

2 weeks after removing the plants, we can harvest.

The yield and quality of potatoes with this method is simply fantastic.

Potatoes are resistant to the process of decay and are stored for a long time, retaining their original appearance.

To this it should be added that the described technology is more costly and troublesome, but gives a minimum yield of 450-500 kg per hundred square meters, which is twice the average yield in Russia (250-300 kg).

What kind of staff is needed to mark potato growing in a business plan?

This question is not as unambiguous as it seems at first glance, and depends on several factors.

As a rule, growing potatoes is a family business and 90% mechanized, even on a small scale.

Especially if a person undertook the implementation of a business idea for growing potatoes, having the necessary skills for this.

That is, he knows the cultivation technology, has the skills of a machine operator, automation of the process of planting, processing and harvesting sown areas.

Then it will not be difficult for him to cope with the sowing areas and hectares.

But during the harvesting process, assistants will still be needed for picking potatoes after the tractor (up to 20% of the crop remains in the field, or even more), sorting, packaging, etc.

Experienced farmers attract a number of workers.

As a rule, they are hired for several days (for calculations, we take 6 days for harvesting and sorting), and their number is determined by the sown area and the amount of crop.

On average in Russia, payment for a workday in the field is 400-600 rubles per day, and is regulated by a labor agreement.

How much money do you need to invest to grow potatoes?

Investments in the potato growing business consist of several points: determining the price of seed, fertilizer and fuel, as well as the purchase of equipment.

Starting investment in business

Summarizing everything in the final table, I would like to note that in the future the costs will be much less, because the purchased equipment and devices will last for many years.

Price for seed

The prices for planting potatoes are different and depend on the variety, the region and the place where you purchased it (station or market).

To understand what prices are relevant in Russia, pay attention to the table of average prices for all regions for the main varieties of seed.

These data must be reflected in the business plan for growing potatoes.

Fertilizer and fuel costs

The business plan for growing potatoes includes another significant expense item - pesticides, fertilizers and fuel and lubricants.

In the calculations above, we proceeded from the fact that our sown area is 35 acres.

Based on the average fuel consumption of an average mini-tractor, the amount of fertilizers and chemicals for processing one hundred square meters, for such an area, the costs for this article will amount to 15,000 rubles.

The video below provides a list of the features of growing potatoes:

Expected net income from the potato growing business

Interesting fact:
Today, the price of potatoes is not high, but a kilogram of the most expensive potato in the world will not be so cheap. Variety "La Bonnotte" is grown by hand on the coast of France and is valued at 500 euros per kilogram. During the gold rush, potato tubers were saved from scurvy, and in the circles of prospectors were valued more than gold.

The most important point for a future entrepreneur is, of course, information about the profitability and profitability of a business:

Based on the data in the table, we get the figure of net profit from the business:

262,500 - 90,200 = 172,300 rubles.

For those who are just starting or are thinking about starting a potato growing business, there is good news.

Statistics and economic analytics indicate that, in terms of payback and profit, potato cultivation is one of the most effective types businesses of this type.

The full cycle from planting seeds to harvesting is, on average, 4 months, and the level of profitability, according to modest forecasts, is 150-200%.

As seen, potato cultivation– business which is worth doing.

If we take subsequent years, then the net profit can be safely added to the costs of the purchased equipment, minus the funds that will go to Maintenance and repairs (as a rule, this is about 15% of the cost of equipment).

It turns out a good amount of stable profit, so it’s really worth doing this activity.

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